Chinachem Hotel.
The rooftop terrace was already crowded with envoys from Western countries to China and reporters from various media and newspapers. There was a long queue in front of the row of long-focus telescopes.
At this moment, Wilson, the military attaché of the U.S. Embassy in China, was standing behind a long-focus telescope, observing the Luodian battlefield intently! After listening to Helena in the western restaurant just now that the Japanese infantrymen besieging Jiangwan had been wiped out, Wilson lost his appetite and hurriedly drank a glass of milk and went up to the rooftop of the hotel.
As a top student who graduated from West Point Military Academy, Wilson was quite confident in his military abilities, so he was particularly unable to accept the news that the Japanese attack force in Jiangwan was completely wiped out. How could this be possible? According to logic, this is simply impossible!
However, when Wilson hurried up to the rooftop, when he turned his long-focus telescope to look in the direction of Jiangwan, he found that Jiangwan had become quiet. The smoke dissipated, the explosions stopped, and even the sound of gunfire disappeared. ! My God, were all the Japanese troops attacking Jiangwan really wiped out
Wilson's mouth opened instantly!
Obviously, if the Japanese army has captured Jiangwan, then the next step should be to attack the urban area. But now, the urban area of Shanghai is peaceful and has not suffered any attacks! On the other hand, in Luodian, in the north of Jiangwan Town, there was loud gunfire and smoke everywhere, as if two armies were fighting a fierce battle.
At that moment, Wilson turned the long-focus telescope and pointed it in the direction of Luodian.
The direction of Luodian is a bit far away. Even if the focus is adjusted to the longest, it still looks a bit blurry. However, for a veteran like Wilson, it is enough to get a rough look, because he can see the general situation on the battlefield. , accurately determine who has the upper hand, and how long the disadvantaged side can sustain.
Coincidentally, when Wilson turned the telescope to Luodian, it happened to be the time when the large-caliber naval guns of the Japanese Navy's Fourth Fleet launched an indiscriminate bombardment! The field of view of the telescope was suddenly filled with continuous red light. Wilson could clearly feel the power of the explosion from as far away as ten kilometers away!
my God! Wilson straightened up from behind the telescope, his expression dull!
The gun groups of the Fourth Fleet of the Japanese Navy began to cover Luodian Town with indiscriminate artillery fire. This is enough to show that the Japanese lost the Battle of Luodian!
(Dividing line)
Meanwhile, in Tokyo.
Tojo Hideki is still anxiously waiting for the battle report from Shanghai.
Half an hour ago, troops from the **Songhu Military Division suddenly strengthened their offensive. Takahashi Tagaji had already reported this situation to him through the radio, but it is not yet known what the subsequent fighting will be like! So Tojo Hideki was particularly anxious. He didn't think Luodian would fall soon, but he was still worried after all.
Because of his worries, Tojo Hideki was particularly dissatisfied with the slow action of the 104th Division.
After walking a few steps, Tojo Hideki couldn't help but stop and asked his adjutant Egawa Hoshirō: "Egawa-kun, please ask again, when will the 104th Division arrive at Luodian?"
"Hai!" Egawa Hoshiro gave a heavy meal and turned to leave.
However, before Egawa Hoshiro could go out, a major staff officer hurriedly walked in and immediately reported: "Your Excellency, Deputy Chief, it's not good, something happened, something happened!"
"Baga!" Tojo Hideki said angrily, "Why are you panicking? Speak slowly."
"Hai!" the major staff officer gave a heavy meal, and then said, "Just half a minute ago, the rest of the 20th Division were collectively crushed in Luodian, and General Takahashi also sent a farewell telegram."
After finishing speaking, the major staff officer handed over the telegram in his hand.
"Nani?" Tojo Hideki didn't reach out to pick it up, he just looked at the major in surprise.
The news just now really shocked Tojo Hideki, even more surprised than the news that the three infantry regiments besieging Jiangwan were severely damaged early this morning!
Tojo Hideki has basically figured out the Battle of Jiangwan. It can be said that it was caused by Xu Rui's trick. If Xu Rui, a cunning man, had not planted a large amount of explosives and chemicals in Jiangwan Town in advance, it would have been impossible. It was not because of the night that the three infantry regiments that invaded Jiangwan Town failed to detect any clues. There would have been no defeat at all in Jiangwan!
In other words, the defeat of Jiangwan was not a defeat in battle, but a defeat due to Xu Rui's conspiracy!
But on the Luodian battlefield, the rest of the 20th Division were the defenders, and Xu Rui was the attacker!
In other words, on the Luodian battlefield, Xu Rui could not play any tricks at all, and could only rely on his troops to fight in a serious manner! Because of this, Tojo Hideki was particularly shocked. In the Battle of Luodian, even if the rest of the 20th Division could not receive naval support, there were still more than 10,000 troops no matter what!
You must know that the military service system of the Japanese army is different from other countries!
In other countries, technical arms are technical arms. For example, artillery, medical corps, and even engineers are unlikely to charge into battle like infantry. But in the Japanese army, all arms, whether artillery, medical corps, engineers, baggage troops, or even communications The female soldiers in the team all receive strict military training, and they can all charge into traps like infantry.
In other words, the remainder of the 20th Division that was besieged in Luodian still had more than 10,000 infantrymen!
The Luodian battlefield guarded by more than 10,000 infantrymen was defeated by Xu Rui's troops in less than half an hour. How is it possible? How can this be? Not to mention people, even if more than 10,000 pigs were placed in Luodian Town for Xu Rui's troops to catch, it would be impossible to catch them all in half an hour!
In fact, Tojo Hideki thought too much!
Things were not what Tojo Hideki thought at all!
Although Langya is powerful, it is absolutely impossible to annihilate the rest of the 20th Division in just half an hour. After all, there are more than 10,000 Japanese. No matter how powerful Langya is, can he kill them all in half an hour? Do not make jokes! Even if the fifth and sixth battalions are added, it is impossible. This is simply an impossible task!
However, fighting does not mean killing all the enemies to win!
In fact, until dozens of Langya's combat teams broke into Takahashi Tagaji's headquarters, the remaining personnel losses of the 20th Division were not large. At best, they suffered more than a thousand casualties, but it is indisputable. The fact is that the remaining Japanese soldiers have been divided and surrounded in various neighborhoods of Luodian.
Because the Langya brigade did not take the unusual route, they unexpectedly attacked from the rooftops of private houses in the middle of the streets, which directly caused the failure of the Japanese army's defensive deployment. The Langya's assault was like a pair of sharp bone-picking knives. The defense line of the remnants of the 20th Division was riddled with holes. When the Fifth and Sixth Battalions followed suit, the Japanese defense line was completely in chaos.
But no matter how chaotic the situation was, most of the remaining Japs in the 20th Division were still stubbornly resisting.
Until Takahashi Tagaji sent a farewell telegram to the base camp and the navy, most of the remaining Japs in the 20th Division were still huddled in their respective defense zones, resisting tenaciously! However, it needs to be noted that if nothing too unexpected happens, the rest of the 20th Division will still inevitably be wiped out.
Takahashi Tagaji also saw this, so he did not hesitate to send a farewell telegram to the Navy's Fourth Fleet, calling the Navy's large-caliber naval gun group to cover the Luodian battlefield, trying to make all efforts to clear out various blocks of Luodian Town. The Chinese ** Corps died on the battlefield together with the remnants of their 20th Division!
Unfortunately, Xu Rui foresaw Takahashi Tagaji's intention, and at the most appropriate time, issued the order to retreat to the Wolf Fang Brigade and the two main battalions participating in the attack! As a result, the Langya Brigade and the two main battalions were spared, but the Japanese who were stubbornly resisting in various blocks of Luodian were blown up.
So in the end, these more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers did not die under the guns of Langya and the officers and soldiers of the 5th and 6th Battalions, but died under the guns of the Japanese Navy's Fourth Fleet!
It was the large-caliber gun group of the Fourth Fleet of the Japanese Navy that killed more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers!
But Tojo Hideki didn't know this, so he was surprised, or shocked!
After a long time, Tojo Hideki finally came back to his senses, glared at the major and said: "Takenouchi-kun, are you kidding me? Half an hour, half an hour! In half an hour, the twentieth The division's more than 10,000 officers and soldiers were completely annihilated by Xu Rui's troops. Do you think you are stupid or am I stupid? Will you believe such nonsense?"
Major Takenouchi paused again and said: "Your Excellency, Deputy Chief, I can understand your mood, but this is indeed a farewell telegram from General Takahashi. Furthermore, the more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the 20th Division were not shot. What the ** team destroyed was that most of them died under the indiscriminate bombardment of the large-caliber naval gun group of the Navy’s Fourth Fleet.”
"Nani?" Tojo Hideki suddenly realized, if this is the case, it would not be surprising.
It is completely understandable that Takahashi Tagaji chose to share his dream with the Chinese Army at the last moment. This has even been deliberately promoted by the Japanese base camp! But I don’t know if the dream of Takahashi Tagaji and the rest of the 20th Division has played a role
At that moment, Tojo Hideki asked: "Takenouchi-kun, did the indiscriminate bombardment of the Navy's Fourth Fleet ever bomb the Chinese Navy?"
"Unfortunately, no." Major Takenouchi shook his head and said with regret, "At that time, two combat reconnaissance aircraft of the 3rd Flying Regiment happened to be over Luodian, so we could see that the Chinese ** team was at the end They withdrew from the Luodian battlefield in time, so the indiscriminate bombardment of the Navy's Fourth Fleet did not bomb them."
"Baga!" Tojo Hideki couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh.
Adjutant Egawa Hoshiro asked again: "Your Excellency, Deputy Chief, do you still need to continue to urge the 104th Division?"
"Baga, no need." Hideki Tojo shook his head dejectedly and added, "Order the 104th Division to immediately withdraw to the Suzhou and Kunshan lines, and be on strict guard! Beware of counterattacks by the Chinese Army."
"Hai!" Egawa Serō paused and turned around.